The most helpful favourable review

The most helpful critical review

5.0 out of 5 starsHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows The Films: Love Is All You Need.
And they saved the absolute best for last. Times two.

My long held pet peeve that the Harry Potter movies were being too crunched for time, causing favourite moments to be truncated or exorcised completely. While they got better with handling and translating the material as the films progressed, the natural story, characters, and flow of the Harry Potter...

3.0 out of 5 starsGood Movie, Terrible Product
I will set aside my feelings with Amazon's ridiculously poor service and just rate the product itself.It was a really good movie, whether you base it on the books or not. The storyline moved the series forward, while capturing all the nuances of the characters, and getting you excited for the next, and final film. Terrific acting, direction, cinematography (LOVE...

I will set aside my feelings with Amazon's ridiculously poor service and just rate the product itself.It was a really good movie, whether you base it on the books or not. The storyline moved the series forward, while capturing all the nuances of the characters, and getting you excited for the next, and final film. Terrific acting, direction, cinematography (LOVE the soundtrack) - an overall fantastic film. However, ordering just the film is probably wisest. The so-called 'bookend' that comes with this edition weighs about half an ounce and doesn't even hold up a small stack of DVDs. It's more just a figurine. I rated it a three because the film deserves a five and the 'bookend' deserves a one.Hope that helps!

This review is from: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (Bilingual) (DVD)

And they saved the absolute best for last. Times two.

My long held pet peeve that the Harry Potter movies were being too crunched for time, causing favourite moments to be truncated or exorcised completely. While they got better with handling and translating the material as the films progressed, the natural story, characters, and flow of the Harry Potter universe is much better suited to this dual movie treatment. Still holding out for a perfect world where it all would have been a television series. But back to our shared reality. And for the sake of clarity and time, I shall be taking them on as a whole unit here.

With the freedom of movement inherent in these two films, we get the truest journey of Harry yet. Starting at the beginning, with Harry departing the Dursleys, and seeing his heartbreak over the first home he has ever remembered. Moving onto the escape plan, followed by J.K. pummeling us with a terrifying battle with deadly consequences, we see the true cost of this war. Beloved friends die. Injuries befall the innocent. Distrust infiltrates ranks. Healing occurs from the impending wedding at The Burrow. Love heals hurt. The bliss is short lived, as Voldemort finally wins and the Hogwarts Three embark on a life on the run.

All the plot set-up in the first part makes way for the emotional core of this second part. Harry and Hermione and Ron have issue and thoughts that demand to be sorted, dealt with, and expelled. And this is the wise place that J.K. has constructed to facilitate this. Stresses and emotions are pushed and tested, starting at Sirius's place and continuing unabated when they are wandering endlessly in the woods. Fractures wedged to the surface by Voldemort split them up in a scene so harrowing it feels like a limb has been unceremoniously shedded. The anger caused by Ron is temporarily alleviated by a jig Harry initiates with Hermione, showing that the magic of dance can bring laughter back. Even if only for a moment. These friends have had their quarrels and petty disputes, but this time of disarray will eventually strengthen them. As Dumbledore knew they would.

Side trips for the locket, with a half crazed, half horrific, look inside the Ministry of Magic make up one action set piece here, while an abduction to dark and gloomy Malfoy Manor brackets as another action segment. The cuteness of Dobby meeting kindred spirit Luna is inspired, but this oasis of perfection is interrupted by Hermione's torture. We never saw what was done to her in the book. But here we see the filthy racial word sliced into her flesh forever. I cringe, and still do to this day, at that evil.

And now we enter the much anticipated breaking point for this first part. I steered myself free and clear of any hints or clues of what dramatic event would provide the emotional impact for this ending. But with the escape from Malfoy Manor, I guessed the death of Dobby being the moment. All the pain and hurt this caused in the book fills these scenes. Dobby dies in Harry's arms. A friend who saved a friend. And vice versa. The littlest casualty of this war has been exacted. We feel for Harry. This never should have happened.

The next part of Deathly Hallows picks up with Dobby being mourned. And rightfully so. It would have been nice if the full funeral showcased in the book was utilized here, to properly pay tribute to Dobby, but for some reason this was not done. We next see the Gringotts affair, which never caught my attention, but was adequately addressed here. The real meat of this movie is the infamous The Battle Of Hogwarts, beautifully written and choreographed in the book, and brought to terrifying life on the screen. Neville shows his mettle, fulfilling the promise I saw in him right from Philosopher's Stone. Neville really could have done it in four books. With smelling hearts we see the DA and the Order uniting behind Harry in a truly inspirational show of support. Harry earned their loyalty through friendship. Voldemort steals loyalty through fear. The differences are even more marked here. Another reason Harry will win in the end.

The emotional whammy from the Pensieve with Harry facing his mortality is immense. Having so much of his life turned sideways, with the realization of Snape's true self, and the stunning surprise of Dumbledore's duplicity, it is a wonder Harry holds it together. But thankfully he gets strength with the Resurrection Stone, providing us with a touching moment of love. Hands up all those who cried. I know I did.

After some last minute explanations, we have the beautiful speech by Neville to rally the troops and speak the truth. Invented by the movie to make up for the lack of previous fantastic Neville deeds being explored onscreen, this is the perfect spot to launch the final bone crunching battle. Calling Voldemort Tom all along this lopsided fight was a great way for Harry to put this erstwhile Lord in his place. He is nothing but a little boy with delusions of grandeur bullying his way through life. And Harry calls him on it. How much has changed since the ending of Goblet. Harry wins, as was preordained by the love he surrounds himself with. Tom dies because of the hate he enthralls himself with. Simple emotions provides the solution here. As it should be.

With the fadeout on the decimated bridge, we depart the Hogwarts Three in this timeline. Just like the wonderful book, the joys of this glimpse forward are so tangible. We see all is right and true and loving with Harry. A happy ending for all. Thank you J.K. It was a journey of love.

This review is from: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (Bilingual) (DVD)

This movie changes the classic format we have come to expect from the Harry Potter movies - no new professor, no new season at Hogwarts. This movie takes us out of the school and on the hunt, with our trio looking for items and clues. This is essentially the lead up to the big battle, which doesn't happen til the second installment, so this can feel a little informational. The franchise is getting a little darker (in a good way) at this point with the enemies being more vicious and unforgiving. An enjoyable children's tale is inserted into this movie and portrayed in a fun way.

Technically it's half of a movie but I really feel that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 stands on its own as an excellent HP film. While I really like it I probably wouldn't consider it to be the best HP movie but I quite enjoy it, some of the character's emotions come out really well here. For those who have not read J.K. Rowling's seventh and final book in the series the action may seem slow and it may seem a bit boring but this Part 1 was necessary. Not everyone will see the beauty of this 7th Potter film but I think splitting the final film in two was a great decision, of course money-wise it was a very good idea for Warner Bros profitable to do so. It also allows viewers a more complete visual experience of the book. Contrary to what some may think I feel that splitting the final book into two movies was for the best because it gives more room for character emotion, ambiance and best of all, it doesn't rush things. I must say the action is a bit slower and Hogwarts is missed but Part 1 sets things up nicely for the conclusion of the Harry potter saga on movies. Everything that needed to be in this movie was and they didn't cut out much. As for the acting I don't think the actors have ever been better in a Harry Potter movie their performances here were nothing short of excellent and brilliant. I won't go through the storyline or the events of the movie, this should be clear by now and I don't think there is much more to say, basically Harry, Hermione and Ron search for the missing horcruxes. I don't want to spoil anything or reveal too much but I just want to say that one of my favorite parts was the animation showed for the story of the three brother in 'The Tales of Beetle the Bard'. It looked fantastic visually and even if brief is I feel, a highlight of Part 1.

For the Blu-Ray: The special features are Blu-Ray exclusive, now I don't know why that is. Perhaps Warner thought that those buying the DVD version (which is a LOT) wouldn't like to have bonus features for some reason. The Blu-Ray has a disc devoted to special features only, the extras are a nice touch for fans and I did like them. For instance the 7 Harrys feature was pretty cool and I liked watching the deleted scenes but I probably won't watch the bonuses very often. The digital copy is not on a disc, it's an online download and from what other reviewers are saying it's not ideal because of software download, unwanted software and it isn't the 'safest' download, let's put it at that. I would've rather had the digital copy on a disc like much of the other Blu releases but that's just a minor complaint.

There are many complaints about the picture quality, especially for the DVD. I own the Blu-Ray/Digital Copy/DVD combo version of Deathly Hallows and I have to admit that these are definitely not the best Blu-Ray or DVD that I've seen. I watched both formats and I think the Blu-Ray looks better in comparison the very dark picture that you get with the DVD. I watched the movie in theaters when it was released and I don't remember it to be this dark. I don't know what it is but Warner Bros managed to screw up the picture quality for this movie, perhaps this will be corrected in the not too distant future with a boxed set of the 8 movies?

I really enjoyed the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; it's a nice addition to the series and set the viewers for what should be a fantastic conclusion. It's hard to believe 2011 marks the 10 year anniversary of the first movie and the franchise! I can't wait to see Part 2 as I think Part 1 set us up so nicely for it! Now, as much as I love the movie I can't give this Blu-Ray/DVD release 5 star because of the picture transfer but those who are not too preoccupied by the darker picture quality should still go for it.4/5 stars, minus 1 star for the visuals.

This review is from: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (Bilingual) (DVD)

This was great, and pleasantly surprising. The movie was delivered to my door within two days. No fuss no mess. Everything was exactly what Amazon said it was at a great price. The movie had to be seen twice+. There were a lot of hidden messages withing this movie. The more I watched the more stuff came out of it. It was a bit more serious than the other movies. I think this was a movie that progressed with the ages of the audience for which it was intended.

I already had this movie in DVD format and then bought a 3D Television and purchased the 3D BlueRay version...Very good price ansd as always quick excellent service...3D effects are quite astounding and totally enjoyable...Would like to see prices come down a bit so I can order a few more...Thank you Amazon for being Amazon, you guy's are the best...

I like all the Harry Potter films but this one is the best, for me at least. It's darker and edgier than the others and sees the Radcliffe, Watson and Grint trio really mature. The production in this franchise has been excellent throughout and I have very little to say other than brilliant!

This review is from: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (Bilingual) (DVD)

What can I say, I'm a huge HP fan and was really excited about getting this to add to my collection. Excellent addition for anyone who is an HP fan of course, or to anyone who enjoys action movies - but you should watch the other ones so that you know what going on.

This review is from: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 (Bilingual) (DVD)

Who would dare say anything bad about this movie. Not I. It was great to watch and compare the book with the movie. Of course these movies are captivating by read the books - they are so well written you create your own pictures in your head.